Pallet



y 8, 1952 w. D. MGINTYRE 2,602,619

' PALLET 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Filed Aug. 21, 1946 X I INVENTOR.

WILL/67M 0. M [wry/4 5 A TTORIVZYJ pallet comprising. spaced sheet metal duced vby relatively simple stamping operations with embossed portions whic'h coo-pera'teto form number and spacing 'nently secured together.

provide spaced registering areas symmetrically Patented July 8,- 1 952 V PALLET it William D. McIntyre, Monroe Mich, assignor to Monroe Auto Equipment Mich a corporation of Michigan Company,- Monroe;

This I invention relates generally i i:matgnai r; handling equipmentand refers more particularly :toimprovements iIlflOfid supportingspallets One of the objects of this :inyention isl to greatly:simplify the construction of pallets and thereby materially reduce the cost of; manufactune-thereon v Another object of this invention is to providela a I complementary vertically plates I capable" of being. provertical load supporting columns "or spacers between the plates; T A further obiect ofthis" inventitm'istb'pi'ovide a pallet of the above'general type'wheremthe f the, columns" or spacers is predetermined to not onlyiadequatelysupport "high unit loads, but'to also pr'oviufeentry slots at all sides and'corne'rs of the pallet for'r'eceiving the fork of.asuitabletruck. Thus the 'palletmay be set down from one direction and "picked-up from another with the result "that removal of unit loads need not necessarily be arever'sa-l of the load "placement process, and'aisle space required for manipulating theloads may bere- 'duced to a'minimum. 1

n A further object of this invention is toprovide a "pallet wherein the 'vertical spacing orfloaid supporting columns are formed oi-sectionsrespectively stamped from the-plates and-permao'i this invention is to of the plates with groupsof tongues projecting toward one another with the tongues in the respectivegroups arranged with respect-to a common pcint and with the tongues on one plate permanently secured to the ton'g-ues'on the other plateto form a" plurality of spaced loadsupportirig columns between the plates.

Thevforeg'oi ng. as well" "as other objects will be made more apparent as this description proceed's, especially when considered in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figurel a plan view of a pallet constructed in accordance with this invention;

Figure 2- isaside elevational view of 'the pallet A still further Object :shownin-mg-urei;

I Figure-3 isasectional -view'taken on the p'lane 'indicatedby the line 3-3-o'f Figure l;

V Figure 4 is a plan view of a modified pallet construction;

Figure 5 is a side shown in Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a sectional view taken on the plane indicated by the line 6-6 of Figure 4; and

Figure '7 is a fragmentary plan view showing one step in the method of manufacturing the pallet shown in Figure 4.

elevational view of the pallet of the drawings comprises 'taining columns l2.

, sheet metal and, .manufactu're, are designed to: enable producing mum, but in'addition,

the same by a simple stamping operation. It will also be noted that the two plates are. complementary or identical in construction, so that the same die and press may mentrequired to produce the pallet to a minigreatly simplifies assembly. 7 With the above in-view, reference is now made more in detailv to the construction of the pallet shown in the drawings, wherein it will be noted that the bottom or base plate l fl is embossed at laterally spaced areas to provide buttons l3 having frustro-conical side walls and having end walls I4 lying in a common plane parallel to the plane of the plate. As'previously stated the stop plate H is identical to the bottomof base plate I0 and corresponding parts are indicated by the samereference numerals; v

In assembly the top plate His superposed on the base plate ID in an inverted position with respect to the latter and with the end wall M of the buttons engaging each other. These end walls are welded or otherwise permanently secured together so that the buttons I3 on the respective plates cooperate to form the vertical load sustaining columns l2. o The length of the columns [2 is predetermined to space the plates apart a distance sufficient to enable'the fork on the usual pick-up. truck to be readily inserted-between the plates. In this connection it will also be noted that while a suffieient number of columns is provided to assure the plates; nevertheless, the columns are arranged to enable inserting the truck fork between the plates at either of the four sides of-the pallet or at either: of the four corners. This feature greatly enhances maneuverability in confined spaces and assures obtaining maximum storage arrangements.

The pallet shown iii-Figures 4 to '7 inclusive comprises a rectangular shaped bottom'o'r base plate [5, a correspondingly shaped top plate-16,

I andverticai columns l l between the plates; The 7 number of vertical columns I! and the spacing betweenthe columns is predetermined to transfer stresses resulting from supporting extremely heavy loads on the top plate IE to the bottom plate IS without buckling the top plate [6. Regardless of the number of columns ll provided between the plates, these columns are arranged t to enable the usual load lifting fork of a contruck to be readily inserted at either of the various sides ventional transfer between the plates be employed to produce .both plates. This not only reduces the equipportions 23.

Both plates of the pallet are preferably formed" of sheet metal and are designed to enable fabrieating the same by simple, inexpensive stamping operations. As shown'particularlyin Figure 6 of the drawings, each column I! is formedof two sections [8 and I9 respectively formed integral with the plates l and I6. t

The section l8 of each column I! comprises a plurality of triangular shaped tongues 'struck upwardly from the base plate [5 and symmetricall-y arranged with respect to a common point.

-The tongues 20 project upwardly from the plate IS in converging relationship, and the upper ends of the tongues are bent laterally inwardly to form flanges-2l having the top surfaces lying in.

a common plane plate [5.

In Figure 7 of the drawings, one simple and inexpensive method for forming the tongues 20 is shown. The sheet metal plate I5 is sheared along lines 22 which intersect one another at substantially right angles to provide triangular The triangular portions. are bent at right angles to the plane of the plate l5-about the lines 24 to'provide the tongues 20, and the extremities'of the triangular portions are bent laterally inwardly along the lines 25 to form the flanges 2|.

The column sections [9 depending from the top plate [6 are preferably formed in the same manner as the sections l8 to'provide triangular shaped tongues '26 having inwardly extending flanges 21 at the free ends thereof. The two plates are positioned in superposed relation, with the sectionsflil and i9 in' registration. As a result, the flanges 2| on the tongues 20 assume positions directly opposite the flanges 21 on" the tongues 26. -In the present instance a rectangular plate 28 is interposed between each of the column sections corners of the plate extend between the flanges 2| and 21 on the respective tongues lThetongues 2| and 2'! are welded or otherwise permanently secured to the plates 28 to thereby integrally parallel to the plane of the connect the b'ase plate. l5 of the pallet to the top.

plate It. .The intermediate plates 28 not'only serve as an anchorage means between the column sections, but'also function to effectively reinforce thecolumns. If desired the base and topgplates of the pallet may be reinforced by providing upstanding -ribs 29 at the marginal edges thereof. In the present instance, the ribs 29 are formed by return'bending the marginal edges of the bottom and top plates in the manner clearly shown in Figure 6 of the drawings.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A pallet comprising a base plate, a plurality of spaced groups of integral load-supporting projections formed in andstruck from said base plate, each of said groups including a plurality of oppositely disposed projections of a triangular shapein plan view with their sides converging l8 in such a position that the,

the free ends of the other, the

toward a common point, said projections being bent upwardly away from ,t h,e pl: a r 1e of said base plate so that} the freefends' thereof -jare; disposed in a spaced relationship relative 'to' each other, a top plate having correspondingly formed and spaced projections extending downwardly away from the plane thereof, and means interconnecting the free ends of the projections of the top and base plates to provide load-supporting v columns between said plates.

2. A pallet comprising a base plate, a plurality "50f spaced groups of integral load-supporting projections formed in and struck from said base plate; each of said groups including a plurality of oppositely disposed projections of a triangular shape in plan vieWwiththeirsides convergin toward a common point, said projections being bent upwardly away fromthe plane of said base .plate so that the free ends" thereof 'are disposed in a spaced relationshiprelative' to each other, the free ends'of said projections being bent laterally to form flanges lying in a plane parallel to the plane of the base plate, a top plate having correspondingly formed and spaced projections extending downwardly away from the plane of said top plate, the free ends of saidtop plate projections being bent laterally to form flanges lying in a plane parallel to the plane of said top plate,.and means interconnectingthe flanges on projections of the top and base plates to provide load-supportin'g'columns between said plates-" 3 A pallet comprising a base plate, a plurality of spaced groups of integral load-supporting projections formed in and struck from said base plate, each of said groups including a plural.- ity of oppositely disposed projections of a triangular shape in plan view with their sides converging toward .a common point, said projections being bent upwardly away from the'planeof said base plate so that the free ends thereofare. disposed in a spaced relationship relative .to each A .free ends of'said projections being bent laterally, to ,form flanges lying in a plane .parallel to the plane ofthe base plate; atop plate having correspondingly formed and spaced projections extending downwardly away-from the plane of. said top plate, thefree ends. of said top plate projections being bent laterally toform flanges dying inaplane parallel to the plane of said top plate, and aplate supported between v the flanges of the top and base plate projections and securedtheretop D; McINTYREl" REFERENCES CITED. The following references areof' record in the file of this-patent: ff; f f

UNITED STA'IEQ P TEn'rs 7 Number t v I v Date 1 1 v.JName' 1,161,167 Thornton Nov. 23,1915 1,433,232 Rogers Oct. 24, 1922 1,881,144 Stein Oot .;4,,1932 

